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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24159679">thursday, never looking back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesaroscycle/pseuds/thesaroscycle'>thesaroscycle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All For The Game - Nora Sakavic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Diners, M/M, Rollerblades &amp; Rollerskates, Skating, Summer, idk what this is, idk yall, vibes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:34:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,261</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24159679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesaroscycle/pseuds/thesaroscycle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Andrew and Neil have been friends since he first moved to their small school, and Andrew didn't think the summer would change anything. Neil ends up getting a job at the one place Andrew happens to frequent with his family, and it all goes downhill from there.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>323</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>thursday, never looking back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey yall, this is unbeta'd and written late at night, so don't expect a lot lol<br/>That being said, the place neil works at actually exists in my hometown and i love it, as much as their food is kinda awful and the fact that unless you want an elvis impersonator talking to you while you eat you can't go on friday nights. also i really really want DQ rn ;;<br/>sorry to anyone who roller skates because i do not! i did do a bit of research tho</p><p>anyway. this is just some silly thing I came up with and finished in a timely manner, which never happens with me. enjoy!</p><p>the title and the song in the rink is friday im in love by the cure</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a time, Andrew thinks, when going to Sweetie’s was fun. Or at least the closest thing to fun for him, so it wasn’t too boring. The live radio in the booth by the bar played good music on Saturdays, and the décor was alright with bright pink and blue neon lights and guitars made to look like they burst through the ceilings. It didn’t have any stairs, but a series of ramps led from the bar and tables to the booths and register. They were ramps specifically because all the waiters were on roller skates, just another thing the diner did to keep customers coming in.</p><p><br/>This had never bothered him before, obviously; they knew the owner, Wymack, because he had hired Nicky when they’d first moved in. He’d turned the place around and made the food edible, but had kept everything else about the place—including the Elvis impersonator that came in on Fridays, and the motorcycle that stood over a table in the middle of the room.</p><p><br/>Sweetie’s had only really started to bother him when Wymack hired another kid after Nicky left. Another kid that Andrew knew very well. Well enough, apparently, that when he skated up to their table one Saturday night, he grinned and said, “Hey, Andrew!”</p><p><br/>Andrew raised an eyebrow in response, as he was pretty positive if he tried to speak his voice wouldn’t come out just right. Next to him, Nicky was practically vibrating.</p><p><br/>“Are you a friend of Andrew’s?” He asked, before Andrew’s elbow could land.</p><p><br/>“He goes to our school,” Aaron answered for him, glaring at Neil from behind his menu. “They have classes together.”</p><p><br/>“Aaron,” Neil said, glaring right back at him before smiling politely at Nicky. “I’m Neil. You’ve gotta be Nicky; Wymack complains about you a lot.”</p><p><br/>Nicky laughed loudly at that, and Andrew shrunk farther into the booth as if he could hide behind his menu, too. Thankfully, Neil seemed to sense his wish to melt into the floor because he left quickly after taking their orders, gliding down the ramps and into the kitchen behind the bar.</p><p><br/>“Andrew?” Nicky asked from next to him, tapping the table in front of him. “I was just telling Aaron about tonight—“</p><p><br/>Andrew was half-listening to Nicky’s plans, the rest of him cursing Sweetie’s and Wymack and those stupid skates.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Neil Thing, as Aaron had dubbed it, had started right after he’d started at their high school, immediately gaining attention as its students comprised of about a hundred kids that had lived there their whole lives. He continued to be interesting, as he already knew Kevin Day, resident celebrity and previous newest kid to move to Columbia. He also lived with his uncle, a perpetually absent man who worked out of town most weeks.</p><p><br/>All of this was known within his first day at Columbia high, but after a few classes with him Andrew also knew that he had a short temper and a sharp tongue, and doodled on his classwork more than he actually did it.</p><p><br/>After a few lunch breaks with him—because he sat with Kevin, and Andrew and Aaron sat with Kevin, and Kevin had a tendency to sit with the rest of his friends—Andrew learned his favorite color was gray, he hadn’t watched most movies in this century, and he always brought fruit for lunch.</p><p><br/>After that—well, Andrew stopped paying attention to how much he knew about Neil and started paying attention to Neil.</p><p><br/>Now, a whole school year later, and Andrew knew he had been planning on getting a job over the summer, but had never considered he might work at Sweetie’s. Though, if he really thought about it—</p><p><br/>“I didn’t know he could roller skate,” Aaron said from next to him on the couch, the day after Sweetie’s. He sounded innocent enough, but Andrew could feel him looking at his face.</p><p><br/>“Allison taught him,” Andrew muttered, talking about another friend of theirs that worked at Sweetie’s. Andrew knew much too many people because of Kevin, but he didn’t complain most of the time.</p><p><br/>Aaron snorted. “I’m sure she gave him the uniform, too.”</p><p><br/>Another reason he hated Sweetie’s, at the moment. Wymack let his employees wear whatever they wanted as long as it matched the colors, but they still had the previous uniforms: red short skirts and shorts and white t-shirts. Allison still wore the real uniform, while the rest of the employees wore their own clothes.</p><p><br/>Neil had been wearing the shorts, out of what Andrew was sure was Allison’s influence. He’d started skating early spring, dragging Andrew to skate parks even though Andrew refused to skate every time.</p><p><br/>“You wanna bet he works Saturdays?” Aaron asked, a smile in his voice even as he dodged a quick stomp from Andrew’s heel.</p><p><br/>The Neil Thing was becoming a Neil Problem, and Andrew didn’t know how to deal with it.</p><p> </p><p>Of course, the first reasonable thing to do would be to stop going, but Nicky wouldn’t allow that even if he’d gotten on his hands and knees and begged. He was big on routine and tradition—something he picked up from his many parenting books and his therapist, Andrew’s sure—so unless someone was unable to get out of bed the three of them were at Sweetie’s every Saturday.</p><p>Andrew was almost bothered enough to fake being sick—Aaron had even mentioned it one night—but decided it wasn’t worth Nicky’s coddling.</p><p><br/>This decision was quickly proven to be a bad one, as Andrew could see through the window that most of the people he knew from school were sitting in the largest booth, with a certain redhead leaned over their table.</p><p><br/>As soon as they walked in, the table saw them and erupted into sound, calling them over to sit near their booth so they could talk.</p><p>Dan explained that she had invited them over their group chat, but since neither of the twins answered any of their texts—they’d both silenced the chat—they hadn’t gotten the invite. Kevin gave a polite hello to Nicky before getting back into his intense conversation with Neil.</p><p><br/>They sat in the booth next to them, turned around so they could hear when somebody spoke to them. They didn’t bother turning back around until Wymack yelled from the kitchen to get back to work. Neil waved at all of them, giving a wink to Andrew before speeding off to take other orders.</p><p><br/>Andrew would have to find some way to not go next Saturday, before things got out of hand.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Of course their friends had other ideas; they couldn’t just let Andrew suffer in peace, stuck at home with Aaron and his awful taste in movies. Instead, they were in the middle of a re-watch of an Indiana Jones movie when both their phones started buzzing.</p><p> </p><p>dans.wild: @ the mini monsters dont block us yet this is important</p><p><br/>allijam: another chat danielle? how many is that now?</p><p><br/>dans.wild: take it up with minyards not me!!!</p><p><br/>dans.wild: anyway thats not the POINT</p><p><br/>dans.wild: neil had the most wonderful idea for this saturday</p><p><br/>dans.wild: and its about time we got together as a team anyway</p><p><br/>rainy: dan what is our team for</p><p><br/>matty: babe our school is too small to even have a pe teacher</p><p><br/>matty: what kinda team are we</p><p><br/>allijam: team Tolerates Kevin</p><p><br/>jos10: team Giving Wymack an Aneurism Every Saturday</p><p><br/>dans.wild: team SUPPORTING EACH OTHER out of LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP</p><p><br/>dans.wild: neil. please explain ur plan</p><p><br/>jos10: idk y ur pulling me into this</p><p><br/>jos10: i just mentioned going roller skating after work and now were here</p><p><br/>dans.wild: exactly! We can meet up at sweeties and then go skating</p><p><br/>dans.wild: like a REAL FAMILY</p><p><br/>matty: that sounds fun actually</p><p><br/>dans.wild: @ twins I know yall dont do anything so im taking ur silence as a ‘yes of course dan we’ll be there’</p><p><br/>aa.ron: we’re going to be sick that day</p><p><br/>matty: H</p><p><br/>matty: you both are going to be sick three days from now?</p><p><br/>matty: how do u even kno??</p><p><br/>aa.ron: twin telepathy u wouldnt understand</p><p><br/>matty: yall cant use that every time u dont wanna do smth</p><p><br/>dans.wild: im hearing nothing from andrew</p><p><br/>an.drew: I don’t know how to skate.</p><p> </p><p>Andrew was just about to close out of the conversation before he got a text from one number.</p><p> </p><p>Dumbass: i can teach u on thursday? im off :)</p><p> </p><p>Well, shit. As much as Andrew wanted to say no, he knew if he didn’t now he’d just have to later. Neil had been asking to teach Andrew since he himself had learned, and while he’d listened every time Andrew said no, he kept asking.</p><p> </p><p>You: fine. 3?</p><p><br/>Dumbass: ok!! :))</p><p> </p><p>Andrew sighed and turned to Aaron. “Katelyn already taught you how to skate, right?”</p><p><br/>Aaron looked up from where he was smiling on his phone, halfway through a text. “Yeah? Did you wanna go?”</p><p><br/>Andrew just sighed again before coming back to the group chat.</p><p> </p><p>kev1n: telepathy doesn’t mean you can see into the future tho????</p><p><br/>matty: idk kev that sounds about right :/</p><p><br/>an.drew: we’ll be there.</p><p> </p><p>Andrew blocked the chat before he could get anymore notifications about it and rewound the movie.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Thursday came much sooner than Andrew would have liked, and by noon he was and anxious mess covered in flour.</p><p><br/>“Did you double the recipe?” Nicky asked as he pulled out another try of cookies, letting them cool next to the other two he’d taken out.</p><p><br/>“We’re out of sugar,” Andrew said instead of answering, spooning out the last of the dough onto their last tray and setting the timer for another ten minutes.</p><p><br/>Nicky stole one of the cookies, already cooling on a rack, and gave him a considering look that meant he was about to say something important. Andrew waited, used to his cousins’ weird attempts at thoughtfulness.</p><p><br/>“You’re going to the rink with Neil tonight, right?” He asked, suspiciously casual. “Is that why you’ve taken to stress baking at this early hour?”</p><p><br/>Andrew scowled at the oven, crossing his arms and watching the time tick by. “I don’t know how to skate and he offered to teach me.”</p><p><br/>Nicky hummed, wiping his hands of crumbs on his pants like an animal, and leaned on the counter next to the oven. “I remember Aaron doing the same thing with Kate last year.”</p><p><br/>Andrew remembered too, if only because his brother had been absolutely unbearable the week prior. He was either over the moon at the thought of hanging out with her—at the time, they were only biology partners—or nervous at the thought of seeing her before then and making her change her mind. A</p><p>had been the one to calm him down with a movie and a blunt pep-talk (‘if it goes well, you can both roller skate your way into a sunset together. If it doesn’t, then you get a different biology partner and move classes and maybe states. No big deal.’) before he left, somehow coming back even worse off than before.</p><p><br/>“Not that you’re as bad as Aaron was,” Nicky said, though that was exactly what he was getting at, “But if you’re nervous it’s alright. Even if it’s not the same circumstances as Aaron’s thing with Katelyn—“ It wasn’t, Andrew thought, refusing to even think about it. “—It’s still hard to go try new things.” Nicky gave a smile that let Andrew know he was about to say something sappy before he said, “I’m proud of you.”</p><p><br/>He didn’t stick around long after that, knowing Andrew needed time to process. The oven timer went off, and he put the tray next to the others, taking two of the cooled ones and going into the living room where Aaron was.</p><p><br/>“Pep-talk me,” he said, plopping into the second bean bag chair and handing Aaron a cookie.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Just keep one foot straight, and push with the other foot,” Neil said, holding out his arms in case Andrew fell.</p><p><br/>It would be the third time in the last hour, and while Andrew hadn’t said a word about it after, his ass was starting to hurt. The only reason his knees weren’t bruised to hell was because of the pads they rented at the rink.</p><p><br/>Andrew tried again, keeping one hand firmly on the rail and the other stretched out, starting to glide. Neil stayed in front of him, pushing himself backward and turning like he’d been born on wheels. He was in the stupid fucking shorts again—Andrew was starting to think Allison had just given him all the pairs she had in his size—and the bright moving lights of the rink caught on the few curls that managed to fight their way out from under his helmet.</p><p><br/>Once he’d gotten gliding down, Neil showed him how to turn, and how to stop without falling over. After he’d gotten around the rink a few times without falling, and had finally let go of the rails, Neil smiled and held out a hand.</p><p><br/>“Ready to go faster?” He asked, still slowly skating backwards in time with Andrew.</p><p><br/>For a moment, staring at Neil’s hand, all he could think was there’s no going back. And then he thought, fuck it, and took his hand.</p><p><br/>“Yeah,” he replied, breathless, his legs already aching.</p><p><br/>Neil pulled him around the rink, going faster as Andrew got the hang of it, until they were both dodging in and out of people skating, making quick turns and stops, trying to catch each other even though they hadn’t let go of the others’ hand.</p><p><br/>Of course, this meant that when Andrew went flying, so did Neil, sliding a few feet into the middle of the rink. It took a moment for Andrew to shake the stars out of his eyes to hear Neil laughing. He hadn’t moved from where he’d fallen, spread-eagled on the floor with his head tilted back, the lights dancing on his skin.</p><p><br/>“You’re really good at this,” Neil said, after he’d caught his breath and sat up.</p><p><br/>“Other than when I eat it so hard we both break our asses.”</p><p><br/>Neil huffed another laugh at that, locking his gaze with Andrew’s. “Other than then, yeah.”</p><p><br/>A song begins overhead, and Neil’s face lights up, getting to his feet. “Holy shit, I love this song.” He helped Andrew to his feet and once again held out his hands. “You wanna dance?”</p><p><br/>“We’re both still on wheels,” He replied, but still took his hands.</p><p><br/>Neil didn’t seem to mind; his version of dancing meant spinning in circles around each other, racing each other around the middle of the rink and stopping right before either of them crashed into other people.</p><p><br/>Neil lead him off the rink after the song ended, and though Andrew’s whole body ached, he wished they could’ve kept skating. He didn’t want to go home just yet.</p><p><br/>After they’d taken off their skates, though, Neil asked if he wanted to wander around downtown for a bit. Andrew stuffed his aching feet into his shoes and nodded.</p><p><br/>The sun was only just beginning to set as they walked out of the rink, Neil packing his shoes into Andrew’s car since they would come back for it later. Most places were open but not especially busy, making it a perfect time for both of them to dick around in whatever stores they came across.</p><p><br/>They bought a few stupid things from a few stores—Neil bought a pocket sized cheese grater, and Andrew had picked up a night-light shaped like a spaceship—and had managed not to get kicked out from others, but it was a close thing if the glares of the cashier were anything to go by.</p><p><br/>They ended up in the parking lot of a DQ, sitting on the curb with ice cream and sodas. Andrew stretched his legs out, trying not to think of the long walk back.</p><p><br/>“I guess I just don’t understand why it shouldn’t be allowed.” Neil was saying, mixing together his already melting strawberry shake. “I mean, it’s not like it’s killing anybody just to have it on the menu.”</p><p><br/>“It’s killing me,” Andrew said, “Every time I have to look at a pineapple pizza on a menu it kills me a little more.”</p><p><br/>Neil laughed, dripping a bit of his shake onto the ground. “That sounds like a you problem, though. Not anyone’s fault you’re a coward.”</p><p><br/>Andrew snorted, finishing off his own shake and throwing it into the trash behind them, and then regretting it when he has to stand and put it in when he doesn’t make it.</p><p><br/>“You ready to head back?” Andrew asked, stepping off the curb in front of Neil. He stood, still smiling, and threw his own cup into the trash, still half-full, and cheering when he made it in.</p><p><br/>Neil turned back to him, his quiet yes lost as Andrew realized how close they were. Toe to toe in the light of their town’s shitty DQ, Andrew thought once again, fuck it. He watched Neil’s eyes drop down before he met his eyes again, ears turning crimson as he smiled and stepped away.</p><p><br/>“I almost regret not driving here,” he sighed, slowly trudging toward the street. “I have work tomorrow and my feet hurt.”</p><p><br/>Andrew looked after him for only a moment before following, calling a simple, “Coward,” in response.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The drive back was quiet, the radio and Neil’s quiet humming the only things breaking the silence. He seemed tired enough leaning against the door of the car that Andrew wasn’t sure if he knew he was doing it.</p><p><br/>He stopped as soon as he pulled up to his house and turned off the engine, watching Neil gather his skates from the footwell.</p><p><br/>“Thanks for letting me teach you how to skate,” He said with a smile, opening the door, “And for not eating it as much as I did when I started.”</p><p><br/>“See you on Saturday,” Andrew replied, watching him slip out of the car.</p><p><br/>He was about halfway up the driveway when he stopped and made his way back, opening the door back up and sitting back down.</p><p><br/>He turned to Andrew and seriously said, “I feel like if I don’t say something now before I go inside I’ll regret it.” Andrew noticed how hard his hands were gripping the laces of his skates, only looking up when Neil said, “Can I kiss you?”</p><p><br/>His brain short-circuited for a long moment, not really understanding what he meant. Neil didn’t look away or step out of the car; he knew Andrew needed a moment. When his brain slowed down enough for him to get a grip, he said yes, because fuck it.</p><p><br/>Neil’s smile lit up the whole street, even as he leaned forward with his eyes half closed, even as he whispered a quiet coward, the word caught between them as they met in the middle.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On Saturday, they both waited for the rest of their friends to come sit with them, sharing a drink and sneakily holding hands under the table. At least, they thought they were sneaky, until Allison walked in and took one look at them before yelling finally so loud Wymack threatened to get her kicked out.</p><p><br/>Andrew was very happy to find it was much easier to skate then he though—especially after finding out he was infinitely better than Aaron.</p>
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